Lemond in my opinion was slightly above him prior to being shot at least at stage racing. Lemond still won two tours after being shot. I suppose it can be said too that Hinault never quite peaked like he did before injurying his knees. Fignon toyed with Hinault during his brief run. Kind of nuts all three of those guys were at one point on the same team.

The cyclist that really impresses me in current cycling is Sagan. Peter Sagan is a once in a lifetime talent. He is talented at everything but stage racing and time trialing. He is clever and has a good nose at reading a race. Often he is strong enough to go in the correct breakaway and has enough of a sprint to easily beat any companions. There has not been any like him since maybe Sean Kelly.